I can assure you that we have been taking time to celebrate what God is up to in Greenville and Anderson in recent days, but we really don’t have time to pause. Last night, I was on the phone with a couple of guys from our team talking about preparations for our next campus in Florence, South Carolina. Because we’re still negotiating contracts for a location, I can’t reveal all the details yet. However, here’s what I can tell you about Florence:

  • We’ve hired a campus pastor. Michael Brown has already moved to Florence and is on the ground running.
  • We’ve hired the staff team that will help us launch the campus. That includes a full-time worship leader, a full-time children’s director and a part-time guy to help with logistics. Those guys are currently serving in Greenville and preparing for their transition to Florence.
  • We’re going back to our portable roots. For the first six years of NewSpring’s existence, we were portable using various facilities on the Anderson University campus. We will be portable in Florence in a location we hope to announce in the next several days.
  • We will be using the same video over IP technology that we’re using in Greenville to deliver live content to Florence. And, ultimately, we have plans to do something in Florence with video technology that, to my knowledge, no other church in the country is doing. (Sorry, can’t reveal details quite yet.)
  • Michael has already connected with about 100 people in Florence who will be helping us launch. We’d like to at least double that number before our first service. You may contact him if you’re in that region and would like to help.
  • I can’t give specifics, but we are “laboring” to nail down final details so we can launch in Florence in the next several weeks. (OK… I’m probably going to get in trouble for that one.)

Here’s what I can tell you, our team is committed to reaching 100,000 people for Jesus in the next number of years. We believe that’s God vision for our church. And, because of that, we are making decisions today that will allow us to have that kind of impact in the years to come. I don’t know where God will ultimately lead us, but I know the first phase of that vision includes:

  • Anderson Campus: Perry will be live from this location.
  • Greenville Campus: One multi-site model where we acquire and renovate a permanent location.
  • Florence Campus: Another multi-site model where we are portable but use technology to deliver a LIVE experience.
  • Second Anderson Venue: More details on this later, but Anderson is going to get the chance to see the next version of NewSpring Church. It’s going to be different than any other worship service you’ve ever experienced.
  • Internet Campus: It’ll be live and it’ll be on-demand and it will connect people in community throughout the world.
  • Two New Campuses in 2009: We’re going to be rolling out a third multi-site model that, to my knowledge, isn’t happening anywhere else. We are praying for the right leaders and the right locations. Let me know if God gives you wisdom on either of those two questions.

Back in the mid-90s, Perry prayed with a handful of guys for revival on the Anderson University campus. When they began praying, they had no idea God would ultimately build a church that would reach thousands. Today, we’re praying for that same kind of revival across our region. We think we may have a glimpse of what that might look like. But, honestly, I’m guessing God has something completely different in store for us. I can’t wait to experience what he reveals in the coming days.

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